: Chapter 12:
Darkness…it was everywhere. All I could see was dark even after I pulled my eyes open to make sure it was real. I held my hands out in front of me to try and grab ahold of something, anything. There was something different though. As I reached my hands out I could actually feel the dark. It was cold and every second I was in it I could feel my energy being drained straight from my body. I screamed for help but not even I could hear the altercations trying to escape my lungs.
Suddenly, as I turned in circles to try and find a way out, I saw a light bit it wasn't one of those lights that you want to run into. It was glowing red and it heated my freezing body as I watched it dance from side to side, getting closer and closer. I slowly backed away, and the only thing I could hear was my heart pounding inside my chest. As it got closer, my heart beat faster and faster until all I could see was red around me and my heart completely stopped. I screamed for as loud as I could because this felt so real and if it was real, someone had to be around to help me. I dropped to my hands and knees out of breath and shut my eyes but instead of seeing the usual blackness that came, I saw nothing but the smallest tint of purple and it was calling my name. Austria…Austria…Austria!
"AUSTRIA!"
My eyes shot open and I could finally hear the scream that I couldn't hear before. My throat was burning and I was sweating uncontrollably.
"Don?" I heard someone but I couldn't see anything. All I felt was a three fingered hand supporting my back. Slowly the darkness faded and a bright light forced me to look away.
"Is she alright?" I recognized that voice, Michelangelo
"I don't know. Austria can you hear me?" another familiar voice said
"Don? Yeah I can hear you" I held my hand to my forehead once it started to ache. "What happened?"
"You were screaming again" He moved my face towards his so he could look me in the eyes. He was breathing heavily and his skin was soaked with sweat. I looked around at Leo, Raph, Mikey, Splinter and April. They all looked like they just witnessed a zombie apocalypse.
"I'm fine now" I nodded at them
"Aus…you like died" Raph said "We thought we lost yah" He walked towards my bed and put a hand on my shoulder
"What do you mean I died?" I said in a panic
"Your heart stopped beating" Don said looking like he was on the verge of tears. April had her hand over her mouth and was letting her emotions fall all over the floor.
"You were screaming and it sounded like someone was TOURTURING you then Don ran in and started doing CPR and you weren't breathing…." April choked on her words and lost her balance but Leo caught her before she could fall onto the floor.
"Wait….CPR?...you kissed me?" I looked at Don. He blushed and lowered his head.
"You were dead Austria. I think that kiss might have saved your life" Leo pointed at me and protested. The room was very silent for the next few minutes while Don looked at me to make sure everything was ok. He took my pulse, listened to my heart and all that stuff over protective people do when their worried for your life. Once Donnie gave me the all clear the crowd slowly made their way out of my room but not before they hugged and criticized me for almost giving them heart attacks.
"Hey Don?" I stopped him before he was the last one to walk out the door
"Hmm?" He turned and looked at me
"Do you have a sec?" I asked. He nodded and sat down on the side of my bed.
"Did I really…die?" I was in complete shock. I started to wonder if I would still be here if Don hadn't gotten to me in time.
"I was more scared then I ever had been in my life" He said in a hushed voice. It looked like he was still trying to recover from the incident since he continued breathing heavily and shaking like he was earlier.
"You wanna know what it was like?" I asked
"Not really" He smiled
"Ok I'll tell you. I couldn't see anything…and I was cold. Then I saw this weird red light that made me feel warm again" I said
"The cold you felt was probably you…." He choked "Your heart failing" He looked at the floor. Donatello definitely wasn't use to the real world as maybe is brothers were. "And then the warmth was you being brought back again" his lips tightened
"I think the warmth was more than that"
"What do you mean?" He scooted closer to me
"I mean…I saw you…there but it wasn't you…it was like you but…not you" I said. He blinked twice trying to process what I said.
"You saw me…but you didn't?"
"I'm sorry it makes no sense" We laughed softly together. Death is just really hard to explain. He pulled the blankets from my bed up over my body and neatly folded it on my neck.
"Try to get some sleep. I'll be right outside if you need me, I'm not going anywhere" his hands were still on either side of me, still holding onto the blanket. He smiled and before he could get up and walk away, I reached my head up and softly kissed his cheek.
"That was for saving my life" I reached my hand up and cupped where my lips had just made contact with him. I slid my thumb up and down his cheek bone and gazed into his eyes. When he smiled I could see his perfectly straight, white teeth. Perfection must be a mutant thing.
"I guess I should save you more often" he said softly, still smiling. There was something about his colorless eyes that drove me wild. I could feel myself forgetting that he was a mutant, that he was just another regular person any human like myself could fall in love with.
"So are you two ganna do it or what?" Raphael's voice came from the door and made Donnie and I jump out of our skins.
"Raph dear Jesus you scared me" He held his hand over his heart and started breathing heavy again.
"Oh, a little jumpy eh Donnie boy?" Raph shot his brother a wink
"OUT" he walked to the door and pushed out the intruder. Don turned around and smiled at me before closing the door behind him.
I didn't realize I was holding my breath the whole time when a huge rush of air escaped my lungs. I held my fingers to my trembling lips and smiled. I pulled the covers over my head and squealed like any other love struck teenage girl would do. I jumped up out of bed and hugged the first pillow I saw. I shook it back and forth and buried my head into its soft plumes. How would I ever get to sleep now? My heart was racing a mile a minute so I got up and ran out the door. The lair was still dark and quiet.
"Austria?" Leo said from behind me. He was holding a cup of hot tea in both of his hands.
"Leo! Where's April?" I ran up to him, still holding the pillow in my arms
"I was just about to bring this to her but you can if you want. She's in my room down the hall but please be quiet. There are mutants trying to sleep" He smiled and handed me the mug
"Thanks I will" I ripped the mug out of this hands, spilling some of it onto the floor but I was to excited to care. I half jogged half walked down the hall to the last room and burst in.
"APRIL!" I whispered
"Oh Aus im glad you're here" April had enough tissues crumbled onto the floor to soak up Lake Michigan.
"I brought you some tea" I handed her the now half empty cup
"Thanks sweetie" She took it and made a face when she looked into it "Did yah get thirsty on the way?" We laughed together, quietly, and then sat down on her bed. "Oh Aus I was so worried. I know we haven't known each other very long but you're like a sister to me" She used her free hand to blow her nose. "I'm glad you're ok" She set down her tea and hugged me
"I'm glad too" I said "Guess what?" I pulled away and smiled at her
"What?" she smiled back
"Before I say anything…you and Donnie aren't…." I tapped my front pointer fingers together
"Oh no! I mean…before I met Casey we were close but not that close" She sniffled
"So you wouldn't be mad if I told you...maybe I kissed him?" I gave an innocent smile as her face flushed with pure joy
"Tell me all about it!"
: The next day:
"Alright here's the plan" Raphael slammed his fist onto the table where we all were sipping orange juice and eating our nutritious breakfast consisting of pizza, pizza and more pizza.
"We break into the Purple Dragons lair, find Hun and take him out" Raph threw his hands in the air in triumph. "What do yah think?"
"No offense Raph, but every time we face Hun it ends up with our shells getting waxed" Donnie said. I couldn't stop thinking about him ever since last night. I couldn't get any sleep even after Leo made me a special tea that was supposed to knock you out. When he asked why I couldn't sleep I just said that I was worried about dying again which was a lie obviously.
"More like, no offense Raph, but whenever you make a plan it ends up with our shells getting waxed" Mikey said taking a bite of his pizza
"You got a better idea Mikey?" Raph leaned in close to his brother who shrunk in his chair
"No but I do" Leo walked into the kitchen with Splinter trailing behind him "We need to go on recon first before we just storm into Hun's hideout. For all we know Hun may not even be behind this"
"Who else would be behind this Leo? The Muffin Man?" Raph said sounding irritated
"Well…Karai is still alive" Mikey said
"Ok hold up!" I said "Please keep me up to date here. Who's this Hun and this Karai dude?"
"Well Karai is a girl first of all" April said "And Hun is the leader of the Purple Dragons"
"And his name says it all. Hun is a brutal thief and I agree with Leonardo that you gather information first before taking such actions Raphael" Splinter said
"I ready the Battle Shell then?" Don stood up
"No…that won't be necessary…I'll take Raphael tonight and we'll head down to Hun's lair. I'll bring a shell cell to keep you up to date. April, you and Austria can go home but I'm sending Michelangelo with you just in case. Don you'll stay here and do your…tech geek thing and help me and Raph get all the information we can. If worse comes to worst you get April and the others and head to Jones Farm. Are we all clear?"
"What do you mean "If worse comes to worst"?" I asked
"If we get caught" Raph said
"But you won't right?"
Leo looked at Raph and shrugged his shoulders. "Right" he said "April, Austria, Mikey…you best be on your way"
And just as soon as I got there…I was leaving again but this time Leo didn't give me enough time to say goodbye.
"I'll walk them out…" Don started to join us but Leo caught his arm
"No…Mikey can handle it" He said
Why did I suddenly get the feeling that Leo knew something that the others didn't. That maybe he knew about a specific event that happened just last night that caused me to run into April's room squealing like a little girly girl. He looked at me with the kind of face I've never seen before. He almost looked…disappointed, but disappointed…in what?
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